David Cameron is replaced as Andrew Castle's tennis partner by Annabel Croft

Andrew Castle, the GMTV presenter, complains that David Cameron no longer has the time to play tennis with him.

Andrew Castle with David Cameron at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon.Photo: Rex Features

By Tim Walker

9:58PM BST 24 May 2010

While David Cameron will, no doubt, struggle to keep in touch with many of his friends, there is one whose absence he may miss more than most: Andrew Castle, the GMTV presenter, with whom he plays tennis.

"I'm sure that he'd like nothing better than having a good hit right now, but he has no idea when he'll next have time to get on a tennis court," says the former professional. "I think he uses tennis as his way of blowing off steam.

"What really stands out is his determination: wherever you hit the ball he runs it down like a rabbit. He has a big left-handed serve as well, which is probably his best weapon."

He adds: "When we play together, no one else has been around, but, I guess, we'll now have a bigger crowd next time; his new bodyguards should act as the line judges."

Castle has replaced Cameron with Annabel Croft, also a former pro. "She's not a bad stand-in," he says. "I don't think David will mind me saying that she's a bit easier on the eye, and she gets more games off me, as it's difficult to concentrate when she's at the other end."

Twiggy has a devoted admirer in Sir Stuart Rose, the outgoing executive chairman of Marks & Spencer, for which she models, but she has not yet had the chance to charm Marc Bolland, the chain's new chief executive.

"We haven't met yet," the model, 60, said of the Dutchman at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. "I am sure we will, though."

The "Twiggy effect" helped revive the chain's fortunes and she is keen for a new contract: "They get renewed each year, so, hopefully, I will be asked to carry on doing it. It is something I really enjoy."

King's messenger

Oona King's announcement on Monday that she would challenge Ken Livingstone to become Labour's candidate for mayor of London in 2012 will have come as no surprise to Mandrake readers. The former Labour MP told me in April that she hoped to be chosen as its candidate to take on Boris Johnson.

King said her mixed-race origins could widen her appeal, but she has given politically correct Labour members a headache.